The Tri-Region is trying to fight back against opioids plaguing Alberta.

According to a new report from Alberta Health Services, two people every day died from accidental drug poisoning from the most common fentanyl opioid in 2018. Last year, family and community support services in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove began to host joint events about the drugs in the Tri-Region and now, on Thursday, all community stakeholders are invited to a summit to discuss the battle.

“This is a culmination of months of hard work reaching out to different groups and places,” Alison Ainsworth, Stony Plain Family and Community Support Services project coordinator said. “We want people to connect with the reality that opioid addiction lives among us. It can be a brother, sister, mother or middle-aged men.”

Over the last two years in Spruce Grove and Stony Plain, RCMP had 300 calls about narcotics. Six were for opioids in Spruce Grove while two were for the epidemic in Stony Plain. Police data also showed eight overdoses, though the type of drugs involved were not specified. At prior forums, area residents have said not enough exists locally for these drug users.

“There is a need in this community,” Stony Plain resident Amanda Wheeler said last year. “We need some resources out here, not just the big city of Edmonton.”

Though the FCSS do have support groups like Because I Love You for those and their families who are dealing with addiction, no facilities exist in the area for an addict to go and seek traditional treatment methods found in larger communities like rehab or safe injection. Due to the topic being so vast, officials felt a massive discussion was the best start.

“We are in the early stages of this initiative,” she said. “It may be a lazy answer, but the reality is the pressures involving opioids are a big conversation. Certainly, the city is simply not accessible for some people due to financial and physical reasons and I think this is why the Tri-Municipal Drug Strategy Council decided to bring this summit here with us. We need more supports in the area yesterday.”

The March 14 event will take place at the Heritage Park Pavilion in Stony Plain. In addition to being free, having an informal dinner and available daycare for those who want to go but have children, it will also feature guest speakers. Two of the speakers include Dr. Robert Tanguay and Cody Bates, a former drug dealer from the Calgary area who has previously served time in prison.

Though he has a controversial past and has done bad things, Ainsworth says Bates and what he will have to share with attendees is essentially one key point of the night.

“Who better to learn from than someone who paid the price?” Ainsworth asked. “He will give us that message to be accountable and that is a lesson all of us can gain from, giving his legacy rise to make a difference in our communities.”

The opioid awareness summit in Stony Plain will take place Thursday at the Heritage Park Pavilion. Admission is free and it runs from 4 to 8:30 p.m. The future of the fight is uncertain right now, but officials say support is there for them.

“We have received general support [from the municipalities],” Stony Plain FCSS director Lisa Gilchrist said. “At this point we are not talking about rehab facilities.”